Anti inflammatory Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Gingerbread Cookie + Anti-Inflammatory Living

Gingerbread cookie is a non-negotiable for me. It’s a happy holiday cookie tradition.

…For you too?

My healthier (but delectable) recipe version is below (that doesn’t compromise taste!).

This is a sweet tray of puffy and light bread cookies. There are 12 regular cookie cutter size and 10 smaller ones (22 cookies total) that took 12 minutes to bake in 325°F/165°C. B-ready?

These are healthy conscious cookies that you can learn more about below.

Jump to Recipe

…Because I think healthy ingredients are delicious and belong in everything happy food made.

And the first question I ask myself is: does this recipe have any anti-inflammatory food value?

And if the recipe calls for sugar, butter, or flour, how can I get by with as little of it without compromising taste and texture?

…Especially because I discovered adult eczema in 2020, and in 2021 when I ended up in the hospital emergency room from skin inflammation, as a recurring second eczema flareup.

But before those 2 years I was already passionate about an anti-inflammatory diet for prevention reasons.

….And thankfully from health awareness and better lifestyle choices, haven’t felt the irritated skin effects since those stinging first years.

I’ve stayed food conscious and haven’t given up non-negotiable happy sweet foods… that would be a life not worth living (in my opinion).

But I’ve learned how to not tip-the-scales with food. Everything in moderation still (and even more as you age).

…And you can adopt an anti-inflammatory lifestyle if you’re wanting to optimize longevity and be more kind to the body we care for. You and I only get ONE

Reading healthy diet books is something I’ve been passionate about since I was a young adult.

Today I’ve zero’d in on a few for life…

The anti-inflammatory diet is forefront. It makes healthy sense to me and in my life where all signs pointed down that path.

I think for everyone that follows, destiny leads you down your best road.

…And after my real life eczema experience, I was convinced eating and living anti-inflammatory year-round was the #1 plan.

An anti-inflammatory diet includes plant-based foods and a lot of the same foods you’d find on a Mediterranean diet… In case you’re wondering what diets it’s kissing cousins closest to.

I like how the diet has little case “a” for “anti” as it encourages food variety choices in specific food categories. Our bodies opt for (and crave) biodiversity in our biomes.

In anti-inflammatory diets, the biggest difference is the focus is on preventing foods that cause daily inflammation.

…Like granulated sugar and gluten flours are common big offenders… and then as each person is different, there are specific individual foods you learn about with your body, as you go and test.

And as funny as life can be… of course, I turned out loving baking… and SWEETS! Challenge-ON.

And at first I learned the hard way.

Because when you’re first learning to bake, you find ingredients that work foolproof to achieve the cake or cookie you want after it comes out of the oven.

And there’s not usually an easy baking path (or many recipes out there) making treats we’ve come to love out of healthy food substitutes that taste just as good!

So then you end up with powdered sugar for icing or vegetable shortening for texture.

But I slowly learned that didn’t have to be the only way.

Like learning to ride a bicycle or ice skate…

It took time for me to tweak and test and learn what healthy and creative paired ingredients would work to not compromise textures and tastes.

Sometimes it took many fails to find wins in the oven.

And I have high sweet taste bud standards.

…’Cause I was raised on all those processed American sweets that were allowed in my weekly childhood diet.

But then daily I also learned about healthy foods from my mom’s balanced dinner plates of protein, veg, and carbs… and I kept my gourmet ox tail, squid soup delicacy, and trying persimmons at home experiences to my young self.

Because back then, no one my age wanted to stick out. And I knew my food experiences were so different than my classmates.

Especially when I had whole wheat bread sandwiches I wanted to hide on school field trips, when white bread was the glorified lunch bag sandwich.

I survived those times and forgot all about them. The were overshadowed by all the happiness I felt going to the grocery store and seeing food variety and abundance.

…Mostly the kid accepted snack kind that kept me happy for days.

…Like Twinkies, and Ho-Hos.

When I was younger, I would’ve been thrilled if you added a drip sugar IV to my veins,

Cookies especially were my weakness (and still are my faves today).

So as you’d imagine, I’ve tasted a lot of cookies in my years. And on my journey, I went in search for the least fat and sugar (healthiest) cookie! 😋

And then gradually evolved to sourcing sweet ingredients and making my own batch of cookies from scratch.

This is where a homemade gingerbread cookie is still hands-down the one that makes me the happiest with the balance of sugar and spice… and my cookie version is actually more aligned to a Chai tea spices.

…And goes great with a cup of Chai. 🫖

But it’s definitely a cookie in every sense where it has some (but a lot less) butter and sugar.

From taste and texture, you’d never know it has less sugar and less butter than most comparable cookies out there.

And that’s good (for the body’s health) because when you eat less sugar, you crave less.

Because sugar is still fact-fully known to be an addictive substance, like a drug.

Sweet addiction can come from a batch of cookies.

So often I use honey, fruit, and monk fruit that are anti-inflammatory good and work for many bakes.

But not great for a traditional gingerbread cookie.

…So cutting down the sugar and butter is the best bet… and especially if you don’t want to tip-the-inflammatory-scales.

That’s the game I play every time I eat something with sugar. And is the game that many of play to some degree without knowing it.

They’re hidden inside the body and can develop into chronic diseases like Diabetes 2 fastly on the rise.

Balancing blood sugar is at the heart of may health issues.

So every little bit of healthy effort, helps. And for building good habits. Of course the sugar compromise took experimenting with and my sweet desire switch didn’t happen overnight.

But these days, you’ll find me adding granulated sugar rarely… with a few bakes like a small brown packet for scones that makes 8 pieces. It just wouldn’t be the same crunch and joy without.

And adding 1/4 cup sugar plus some candy zhugh for a gingerbread cookie recipe this size to make a worthwhile joyful tray. 🍥

…We’re born with sweet taste buds on the front of our tongues for a reason.

But in my lessons learned, you don’t need to add powdered sugar icing that takes a high amount of sugar to make a little impact. And that adds to sugar addiction points if you’re counting.

You also only need 2 pats (2 Tbsps) of butter and NOT a whole stick for decadently good cookies!

Shifting butter also works toward a better anti-inflammatory mission.

During the year (and out of comfort food weather), I make no-butter cookies subbing in healthy oils like in a buckwheat ginger snap or a no-bake matcha cookie.

Remember “everything in moderation.”

My motto version: enjoy a sweet and then eat some carrots in between. And better yet, bake in some carrots (or your go-to list of anti-inflammatory foods) in your sweets. 🥕

When you use rainbow-healthy 🌈 ingredients that can help lower your grocery bill (I find), you can make your own food dishes and baked goods that make your mouth sing and smile.

And as win-win, you’re winning anti-inflammatory points when you partner with your body’s healthy tastes. 😊

Like when you add anti-inflammatory spices to a lower fat gingerbread cookie. 🫚🧡

Gingerbread Cookie - Low-Fat

This is a delicious gingerbread cookie that is more cake-bread-like and full of warming spices.

Servings 14 cookies

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

2-1/4 cups whole wheat and all purpose flour
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1-1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom (optional)

Instructions

Fully combine ingredients to make cookie dough. It will look like moist cookie crumbs.
Add dough to plastic wrap and tightly wrap pace to make a rectangle.
Refrigerate for at least one hour. The longer you let the dough rest, the spices will aromatically meld in (for up to a week in the refrigerator)..
Roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookie shapes. This will make about 14 regular sized cookies.
Preheat oven (and refrigerate cookie tray while waiting for preheated oven to heat up).
Bake on 325°F/165°F for 10-15 minutes. Cookie bottoms will have darker baked brown marks.
After cookies have cooled, you can add icing. Icing: melt white chocolate in a double broiler. To make more, add a small amount of refined coconut oil.
Smear white chocolate to tops of cookie and zhugh with decorations while the chocolate is not set.

Cranberry Pumpkin Trifle Dessert – Healthy and Easy

Cranberry pumpkin trifle is a healthy and tasty sweet treat snack that’s good for the gut where Greek yogurt is the white creaminess you can’t wait to dip your spoon in. And it’s a no-bake easy dessert (for brunch?) that you can make with 10-minute simple assembly.

This makes a great in-between dessert (amuse bouche) go-to… with sweet and sour-tart vibes infused. 🧡

This is a tasty way to keep celebrating and still enjoy food with heavy feast menu days that the holiday season is peppered with. 🎉

When I worked in catering planning, building in extra food touch point details won points with hosts and guests.

Like a special dish add or an amuse bouche (mouth amuser appetizer).

And if you’re feeding guests or hosting a party, small details like an across-the-board zhugh topping are a great way to impress them with very little work.

In an individual dessert like a cranberry pumpkin trifle, the multi-layer effect looks inviting to bite into.

The contrasting taste pairings and rainbow-y colors do the work for you.

And goes well on a food table in individual glasses … oui?

And the other reason a trifle is great is it’s just 10-minute prep work.

It can be enjoyed for no occasion at all…

Like for a great breakfast treat as a starter before your activity day, hike, or physical exercise.

Or anytime of day snack.

I like to have them ready for a Sunday brunch.

The ingredients are simple: canned pumpkin, cranberry sauce, Greek yogurt and orange zest.

And if you’re a bit like me, you want to know all the ingredients before you decide to make a recipe.

✅ You want to know if you have them on hand.

Nothing worse than getting excited about a food dish or gathering all the ingredients, and then not having a primary ingredient on hand.

✅ I also look at the ingredient list to see if they are ingredients I want to use for healthy reasons.

✅ And food ingredients that excite. 🥳

Then when all the checks are there, that’s when the prepping can begin.

The party is when it all comes together.

Success is when there’s a tasty pair duo or combo… Or in this case, it’s a pumpkin-cranberry-orange trio. 🎶

You can hand spoon layer the pump-o-cran trifle.

You can use store-bought or pre-store in freezer yogurt and oranges.

The frozen orange won’t be as vibrant fresh as fridge fresh oranges, but it could save you a trip of foraging.

Storing up can last you though the winter. That’s how we can be one with nature 🧘🏻‍♀️ and more like our foraging squirrel friends than we think. 🐿️

Both the pumpkin and cranberry are convenient cans you can store in your kitchen pantry.

It’s a myth that cranberry or pumpkin are seasonal foods. They’re available on middle aisle shelves all the time so you can get when them on sale if you want. And during the end-of-year months, it’s hard not to bump into them near end-of-aisle checkout areas.

And if you’re doing low-sugar, look for frozen whole bags of cran-berries that are wildly healthy like most berries that are full of polyphenol anti-inflammatory goodness.

You can make your own cranberry sauce. And then store the whole berries and extra sauce in your freezer.

Whole pumpkin is similar has similar healthy and easy vibes. It’s adds beta carotene and the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E to complement an anti-inflammatory diet.

A-C-E was one of my earliest healthy food acronyms I learned that still has longevity (in A-C-E foods and my memory). 😊

And canned (pumpkin) that’s in puree versions ready-to-use is conveniently on most grocery shelves 365 days a year.

It has many healthy uses…

Like pumpkin is also great in a baking recipe. It’s my favorite Thanksgiving pie… maybe you too? And no-baking needed recipes like pumpkin mousse or chocolate trifle with pumpkin.

Year-round, I like to make easy pumpkin pasta sauce.

It’s a good alternate or change up from tomato sauce… and because tomato sauce is acidic.

If you’re trying to reduce heartburn symptoms, then that’s one easy swap you can make.

Also, pumpkin has a mildly sweet taste, pairing well with the same herbs and spices (as tomato sauce) like oregano and basil.

But I like to punch it up with pungent sage too. ⚡️

And if I’m sweet baking with pumpkin, I usually pair with ginger spice.🫚

Pumpkin sauce is also a glowing orangy-color that lights up faces. 🎃

On days you need energy, pumpkin can help you along with a bowl of pasta. And if you make your own homemade pasta (or eat egg yolks) then you’re getting B12, B6, and B2 from the egg yolk that plays well together to create food syn-energy. 🔋

Then with extra leftover pumpkin, you can see how that all comes together in this tasty cranberry pumpkin trifle dessert.

Cranberry Pumpkin Orange Trifle

Tasty and easy to make for holidays and everyday.

Author Brandy @ Health Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

thick Greek yogurt
cranberry sauce
canned pumpkin
1 orange (Navel and Cara Cara sweet oranges work well)
molasses drizzle or nuts (for additional zhugh)

Instructions

Layer pumpkin, cranberry, and yogurt. Zhugh with orange zest.
Drizzle with molasses or zhugh with chopped nuts (optional).

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie (Low-Sugar) – Gluten-Free

Oatmeal raisin cookie is one of my favorites. This one is all oats. And no flour.

Sure, you can add chocolate, but I sometimes like a pure wholesome oat-y raisin cookie (…maybe you too?) where the raisins are the stand out morsel-size ingredient.

And this gluten-free big cookie has 40 raisins. You can’t dodge ’em if you tried.

There’s a raisin reason (or raison in French) for the cookie … that makes it a good breakfast starter with healthy breakfast ingredients!

And if size matters to you…

This oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is for 6 inches across that is great on your 8 inch plates. Or take with you in your car trips when you want fewer crumbs.

It has crumbs, otherwise it wouldn’t be a satisfying cookie… but it holds together nicely.

And better than granola that’s droppable, and one jerky hairpin turn away from needing a vacuum.

You will have finished this cookie by then. 😋

Like my younger self would have. When I found the hard and crunchy store-bought ones worthy.

I thought they were the eat-as-many-as-you-like wholesome cookies. Ya know what I mean?

I was years from understanding why healthy really mattered… and knowing that a few baking minutes is all the difference between crunchy vs. soft-baked.

And not from an artfully messy table of food ingredients that I imagined.

For a Softer Cookie:

With ith the magical oven, you can make the cookie even softer if you want with a simple ingredient tweak.

If you want to make a smoother (less oatmeal bumpy) and cake-y cookie… and don’t mind the gluten, then you can add some whole wheat flour.

Or my fave way is to add buckwheat flour that’s naturally gluten-free despite “wheat” in the name.

I love an easy gluten-free buckwheat ginger cookie snap.

If you add 1/2 cup gluten flour, you can fill a 9″ pan of cookie that’ll turn out more like a cookie-cake. There will be a little rise and it’ll be softer and spongier like a cake so it’s easier to cut.

You can even cut a cool geometric star pattern shape like this gigantic chocolate oat cookie (cake?) that’s doubly starred ⭐️⭐️ with an orange star inside the kaleidoscope cut star pattern. Do you see it?

The cuts are good for tearing and sharing, and will impress most and especially science fair aged-ones.

But if you prefer a solid cookie or wouldn’t miss the raisins, you can try this low-sugar oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that looks a lot like the signature C.C. cookie 🍪 I sat next to when I was a Doubletree Hotel catering manager.

But the baking recipe I share is without any of the sticks of butt-ah that made it paperweight heavy.

And now that we have all the cookies out of the bag, the ingredient that ties all the cookies together is the oats.

With all the grocery variety shelf options these modern days, old-fashioned oats are the best value… they cost minimal and are minimal processed (vs. instant oats). And wherever you shop, it’s usually next to the 1-minute oats.

The slow oats are the better option. And since you’re baking them and not making oatmeal, they’re time-less.

The magical oven will work out that cooking time process.

…Maybe why oatmeal is part of the famous oatmeal raisin cookie’s name.

And while oats bind the cookies together, what makes this oa-tea cookie recipe a special-tea is the Earl Grey tea choice added to the cookie batter.

The tea is good for a couple reasons (or raisins 😊). Earl Grey is a brisk bergamot black tea that can be strong. And maybe why it’s U.K.’s traditional tea. 🇬🇧

And I’ve been adding raisins to drinking Early Grey that gives it a bergamot forward citrus flavor. Earl Grey is good for breakfast or an afternoon tea. And a perfect cookie pair fit where you can do tastings with different cookies like starting with an oatmeal raisin cookie. You could try a holiday lemon cookie.

Early Grey is versatile, but had ladylike (adult) tastes. Like other black teas, it’s usually sweeter (vs. green tea = bitter). And raisins mellow out all those tastes and flavors for a smoother drinking ride.

The tea also plumps up the raisins. And you could plump up raisins in your enhanced puffery oatmeal raisin cookie if you pre-soak them in brewed tea before you add to your cookie batter.

But if you don’t have Earl Grey tea on hand, for cookie batter, you can sub with/use milk , coffee, or any liquid as substitution.

No need for a panic store run. You can get creative and use the same Dry January warm beverage you’re also brewing and drinking on hand. If it’s good as a drink, it’ll be better in a cookie! 🍪

How easy… as promised for this One-Bowl oatmeal raisin cookie.

And if you’re wondering if this cookie will be sweet enough (as it calls for no table sugar like most cookies), you can add healthier natural sweetness that come straight from the source like maple syrup or honey.

If you’re feeling Pitta (e.g. signs of feeling irritated, have warm skin to the touch, or breaking out signs) maple syrup will help you out as it’s a cooling ingredient. Fitting why it’s a staple up north. 🇨🇦

So now you have an American oatmeal raisin cookie with English-speaking cousin country ingredients.

And if you’re feeling cool, you may want a warmer ingredient.

Sinus-congested Kaphas can use honey in your cookie batter. Raw honey helps to loosen up the gunk and if you’re feeling slow going.🫖

Plus a dry oatmeal raisin will be good for drying out Kaphas that tend to have moist skin.

And with all the mouthful deets, I think you’re ready to make this ready-to-be-eaten cookie.

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookie (One-Bowl Easy)

This is an easy cookie to bake that always pleases for any occasion!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

2/3 cup ground oats
1 Tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp yogurt
1/8 cup Earl Grey tea
2 Tbsp raisins (or 40 raisins)
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
pinch of salt

Instructions

Spray your baking pan with baking spray or brush light olive oil. You can use your round cake pans.
Make the one-bowl cookie batter: Combine ingredients with a silverware spoon but reserve the Earl Grey tea and raisins.
Optional: brew your Earl Grey tea and add the raisins to the warm tea. This will help plump raisins up. You can do for some, all, or none. And then add the tea and about 3/4 of the raisins (30 raisins/1.5 Tbsp) to the cookie batter.
Shape your cookie with your spoon and a knife or offset spatula is helpful. This makes one 6 inch cookie or a few smaller cookies.
Add the remaining raisins on top so they're visible.
Bake at 350°F/180°C for 25-30 minutes for soft-crispy cookie doneness preference. Enjoy!

Turmeric Soup – Anti-Inflammatory

Turmeric soup is one anti-inflammatory soup that’s so easy to make. All you need is water and turmeric spice. But you can add so much more (see below)! And it’ll be comforting for fall and holidays.

Add rice for texture substance that adds nutrients and is hearty filling.

Brown rice and wild grain rice are whole foods great on an anti-inflammatory diet because they’re less processed.

The rice bran and germ are kept intact where additional B-vitamins are.

You can add your protein choice, and include 15-beans for one potent protein bowl. You can also make a Magic Bullet dip with the beans.

In the bean mix, some are actually legumes and not beans.

Just remember, all beans are legumes, but not all legumes are beans.

Remember those school grammar lessons?

How fun to practice on peas (that are legumes) with fruits in pods (or seeds). 🫛 And lentils and peanuts are also legumes (not beans!).

Lentils are easy to point to by their half shapes.

And not to get too technical, but a chick pea is a bean: a chic garbanzo bean.

But you already knew that!

And all these are in your 15-bean (or 16-bean) packages. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a 33-bean one as there are hundred of beans in the world and some even say like 40 thousand that’s surprising to hear!

The list is long, and from that lens short on a 15-bean bag.

If you read the label, actually you’ll notice there are more than 15 named, but actual only 3 lines long: northern, pinto, large lima, yelloweye, garbanzo, baby lima, green split pea, kidney, cranberry, small white, pink, small red, yellow split pea, lentil, navy, black, and white kidney. They sound like organs or colors on a college jacket.

Did you find the ones that are non-beans?

And since we’ve gotten technical, there are more than 15 listed (there are 17 if you’re counting). This has to do with variety. But from school-me class 😊, we just learned that some legumes are not beans, so maybe it should be called 17 legumes soup? 💭 …Not as catchy though.

And would make a great school project. And if you want to give a school grader a project, have them separate the types.

Either way, it’s a great lesson in food variety and would make for nice art work in a bowl. 🥣

One that I do is turn it into a turmeric bean soup.

To make this:

Soak the beans in room temperature water in a bowl covered overnight so they expand and soften.

Then cook the 15-beans on medium heat until soft. This usually takes over an hour. If you want to lean into the smoky tastes, you can let the water run out on the beans. Then add back before it blackens.

You’ll get a nice smoky aroma and taste that makes it very warming and inviting. This is a great fall soup. The colors look like leaves turning and it’s comforting.

Then turn your soup into an easy Magic Bullet dip.

Turmeric Soup made at home with just turmeric and water for the base.

Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Soup

This is a simple and anti-inflammatory soup that you can make delicious and bottomless enjoy.

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 tbsp turmeric spice
16 oz water
15-beans (optional)
cooked rice
Brussel sprouts (and/or veggies of choice)
spices (black pepper)

Instructions

Add turmeric to pot of heating water on the stove.
Add cooked beans, spices, cooked rice, and veggies to pot.

Vegetable Pizza From a Home Oven

Vegetable pizza is a plant-based pizza that can be made savory and interesting.

Or like this tomato-shaped farmers market okra, peppers, beets, and alfalfa sprouts pizza.

Microgreens like sprouts 🌱 are a great add to a veggie pie.

This one was made same-day and with “00” pizza flour that makes chewy crusts like those found in frozen pizzas. That’s what I found from baking in my home oven on regular baking temperatures.

That’s different than a commercial oven that I’m also familiar with.

You see, I’m not a beginner pizza maker or vegetable pizza maker…

I spent 4 of my pre-college years working for Domino’s Pizza making pizzas in busy stores around the DC metro suburbs.

The crusts were more like softer warming bread crusts, the kind that I am used to making at home these days. 😋

At the pizza shops, they were called the regular handmade pizza crust. Bread and handmade made for good comfort food. It made the bread soft and a little airy inside.

I was glad I could achieve a similar crust at home from techniques I tested and learned.

And similarly there’s no reason why you can’t make your own handmade pizza dough from your home or apartment oven. 💭

The recipes and steps for how to turn your pizza ideas to dream reality are easy to follow and you can also check out my Home Pizza Dough Beginner guide.

You can make your own easy pizzas from you home oven. And you can see some of my fall pizza regular and soft bread crust examples for ideas.

And you can also make slightly more advanced light and airy, charred pizza bread crusts (like those from wood-fired pizzas or “professional” pizza equipment).

Those are impressive and deliciously satisfying Neapolitan-style pizza that can come easily from your home or apartment oven! …Yasss! 🤸🏼‍♂️

I think pizza is an easy add anyway.

Especially because food costs have climbed a lot over the past years, and making your own home pizzas is a good way to save food and pizza money… and still get your satisfying pizza-fill on Game and pizza craving days.

Making pizza bread is as easy as 1-2-3 once you get the hang of it. It can be an auto-no-brainer with a few tries.

And that can be a regular healthy meal for you (more on this below)…

It’s also a way to impress your friends with your pizza kitchen skills like with this pizza that you may be surprised to know was made in my apartment oven with just a regular baking pan:

…So no fancy tools. And no wood-fired or outdoor pizza oven. What’s not to love? It did get gobbled up – leaving no crumbs.

And pizzas are also such an easy way to add more anti-inflammatory healthy plant-based foods to your diet.

A vegetable pizza is an easier sell than a plate of veggies (for any age) because not one ingredient is the star.

It’s the salty, savory ingredient melange that makes a pizza.

And it wins points for this old vegetable pizza maker! It’s happy and oh yeah, healthy…

Pizzas can be very healthy and low-fat if you don’t add as much “greasy” cheese as you see on most pizzas on the planet. In the pizza shops, our rule of thumb was one layer of oily cheese and no gaps. And that was a good amount of cheese you can pull apart.

But you can use a lot less cheese like in a Margherita pizza where healthy Buffalo mozzarella (yum!) slices are randomly added and the melted cheese patches don’t cover the entire pizza. It’s what you make it!

We also used in the pie shop, all our healthy scraps that fell in the pit for the everything pizzas. Those ingredients are just as healthy!

And you can do the same at home with very little pitfalls.

…Only pizza benefits.

Especially vegetable pizzas that make good beginner pizzas and are good opportunities to use all those veggies that the gardens are abundantly growing. 🍅 🥬

Pizzas are a great way to ramp up on onion and mushroom pairings as powerful immunity foods, especially during cold and flu season. 🧅🍄‍🟫

And if you’re dairy-free, you still can enjoy a pizza.

I remember there were always people who ordered no tomato sauce or no cheese… and even no dough…whaaat? That was before gluten-free was a thing.

And subbing those ways is all covered in my little 17-page guide. Because I believe there’s a pizza for any occasion! And can be enjoyed by anyone who can eat solids.

Oh, and I almost forgot… if you like sourdough or have never made before but interested in beginner learning skills, adding starter to your pizza dough is a great way, and for the crust’s sake that I cover as well.

It’s much easier adding sourdough starter in a pizza where it’s just a little bit and not a whole sourdough bread commitment.

Sourdough is also healthy because it’s lower glycemic index than doughs made from just commercial yeast. And that’s good for not spiking blood sugar (and helping prevent lifestyle/Diabetes 2 on the rise).

That’s just one reason why people are still so wild about the wild yeast and an added benefit for those who didn’t know!

That’s healthy food inspiration and ideal weight aspiration for anyone who has a gut and wants to keep it healthy. I’m pretty sure that’s all of us 🧡

Veggie Pizza

An easy and delicious pizza crust you can make in a couple hours to accompany veggie toppings you choose.

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour (or combine with bread flour)
water (enough to combine and have a slightly moist dough)
1 tsp salt (kosher salt recommended)
1/4 tsp instant yeast

Instructions

Incorporate ingredients with either a mixer with a bread hook or do by hand. By hand, create a well (that looks like a volcano) in the middle of flour, yeast, and salt (like you would in homemade pasta making). Gradually add water and mix in.
After combined, knead dough. Roll with hand and flatten with palm of hand. Do not be gentle. Do this for 5+ minutes.
Let dough rest for at least 2 hours in a plastic container. Be sure the dough is moist. If baking same day, pull out and shape/flatten dough with hand leaving about 1/2" edge crust untouched.
Bake at 350°F/180°F for 20 minutes and then pull out of oven and add sauce and vegetable toppings. For wet or frozen veggies, cook those separately in a pan before adding to pizza. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until bottom of crust is fully baked.